Advent Challenge - Day 4
Title: Dragon Drabble 1
Author: alice_montrose
Fandom: Original
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I own the characters; story set in my Dragon-Mage verse
Summary: Varen, Alain and Derewav go looking for an injured dragon.
Request: something with dragons (by raeraesama)
Author's Note: This is a snippet from a longer fic I've been working on.
~*~*~*~*~
Flashes of Varen's white gelding guided them through the unknown forest, their destination unknown to anyone but the dragon-mage. Whatever sense guided him was apparently particular to dragonkind. Alain was just thankful Derewan hadn't started asking questions yet. Of course, the young man wasn't used to neck-breaking chases and appeared to be using all his strength to keep on his horse. Which bought Alain some time, but not much.
Varen pulled to a halt at the edge of what appeared to be a clearing. Then the prince noted the shattered and burning remains where trees had once stood; this was undoubtedly the place the dragon had crashed -- but where was it?
Varen vaulted down from his horse and threw him the reins. The gelding seemed restless, pounding the ground nervously. Noticing the wild glint in Varen's eyes, Alain couldn't help but feel the same. Unsettled, maybe a little panicky. Derewan had caught up, and was now studying the area and frowning. Whatever the
mage's senses told him, Alain could not tell.
He could tell he was not going to like Varen's next suggestion, though. Those amber eyes pinned him, pupils a narrow slit, and there was noting but determination on the dragon-mage's face.
"Remain mounted," he said. An order, not a suggestion. "Derewan, find out how close Eclipse's men are and keep watch. If they get closer than one mile, let me know at once."
The young mage gave him a startled look, but nodded and was soon busy weaving a spell in the air.
Alain gave Varen a measuring look. "I should come with you." He swallowed hard at the growl that earned him, at the sudden determination on the beautiful face.
"I need not warn you on the dangers of intruding on a dragon's territory. Eclipse will do anything he believes necessary to get his hands on a live dragon, so those troops will come looking for him. Remain mounted. We'll need to get out of here soon enough." Grumbling something else under his breath in a language Alain did not understand he turned, spread his arms, and stepped forward through the shattered piece of forest ahead.
"My lord?" came Derewan's uncertain inquiry.
"He knows what he's doing," Alain replied, mostly because he needed to say the words out loud, to reassure himself of the fact they were not going to end up as piles of ashes on the forest ground. But Varen was old, and he knew how to handle injured dragons. Or so Alain hoped.
The ball of fire that appeared in mid-air and was hurled towards the dragon-mage's advancing figure didn't do much for the prince's confidence, even when it was deflected with the wave of one hand. Then Varen was shouting in that harsh, sibilant language. If there was an answer, he did not hear it -- but Derewan's sharp intake of breath was enough to turn his attention to the naked figure stumbling forward from the trees ahead.
Strange. He had not imagined that dragons might shapeshift into human form when injured. After all, their natural form would have been a much better deterrent for anyone who might consider attacking them in a weakened state. Still, Varen's sudden speed as he rushed forward to the body, wrapped it in his cloak and hurried back towards Alain and Derewan with it in his arms didn't do much for the prince's breathing. Especially when he noticed his lover was in fact levitating above the splintered trees.
He pulled sharply on his own horse's reins to make the animal behave. One would think that so much time spent in Varen's company had dampened their mounts' natural reaction to flee from predators when those predators were in human form.
"How close are they?" Varen inquired as he floated himself in the saddle and settled his bundle in front of him, his movements quick but very careful to Alain's eye.
Derewan frowned. "About three miles, and approaching fast. But the dragon..." Varen's glare was enough to make him gulp down the rest of his words.
"Back to camp?" Alain asked; the dragon-mage nodded and caught the reins thrown to him. "How bad is it?"
A look down, and an upward twitch of Varen's lips. "Bad enough, but nothing that cannot be healed. Just don't expect either of us to be in a good mood when he wakes up."
~*~*~*~*~
Edit: Fixed spacing. Why didn't anyone tell me the format was screwed up?
Author: alice_montrose
Fandom: Original
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I own the characters; story set in my Dragon-Mage verse
Summary: Varen, Alain and Derewav go looking for an injured dragon.
Request: something with dragons (by raeraesama)
Author's Note: This is a snippet from a longer fic I've been working on.
~*~*~*~*~
Flashes of Varen's white gelding guided them through the unknown forest, their destination unknown to anyone but the dragon-mage. Whatever sense guided him was apparently particular to dragonkind. Alain was just thankful Derewan hadn't started asking questions yet. Of course, the young man wasn't used to neck-breaking chases and appeared to be using all his strength to keep on his horse. Which bought Alain some time, but not much.
Varen pulled to a halt at the edge of what appeared to be a clearing. Then the prince noted the shattered and burning remains where trees had once stood; this was undoubtedly the place the dragon had crashed -- but where was it?
Varen vaulted down from his horse and threw him the reins. The gelding seemed restless, pounding the ground nervously. Noticing the wild glint in Varen's eyes, Alain couldn't help but feel the same. Unsettled, maybe a little panicky. Derewan had caught up, and was now studying the area and frowning. Whatever the
mage's senses told him, Alain could not tell.
He could tell he was not going to like Varen's next suggestion, though. Those amber eyes pinned him, pupils a narrow slit, and there was noting but determination on the dragon-mage's face.
"Remain mounted," he said. An order, not a suggestion. "Derewan, find out how close Eclipse's men are and keep watch. If they get closer than one mile, let me know at once."
The young mage gave him a startled look, but nodded and was soon busy weaving a spell in the air.
Alain gave Varen a measuring look. "I should come with you." He swallowed hard at the growl that earned him, at the sudden determination on the beautiful face.
"I need not warn you on the dangers of intruding on a dragon's territory. Eclipse will do anything he believes necessary to get his hands on a live dragon, so those troops will come looking for him. Remain mounted. We'll need to get out of here soon enough." Grumbling something else under his breath in a language Alain did not understand he turned, spread his arms, and stepped forward through the shattered piece of forest ahead.
"My lord?" came Derewan's uncertain inquiry.
"He knows what he's doing," Alain replied, mostly because he needed to say the words out loud, to reassure himself of the fact they were not going to end up as piles of ashes on the forest ground. But Varen was old, and he knew how to handle injured dragons. Or so Alain hoped.
The ball of fire that appeared in mid-air and was hurled towards the dragon-mage's advancing figure didn't do much for the prince's confidence, even when it was deflected with the wave of one hand. Then Varen was shouting in that harsh, sibilant language. If there was an answer, he did not hear it -- but Derewan's sharp intake of breath was enough to turn his attention to the naked figure stumbling forward from the trees ahead.
Strange. He had not imagined that dragons might shapeshift into human form when injured. After all, their natural form would have been a much better deterrent for anyone who might consider attacking them in a weakened state. Still, Varen's sudden speed as he rushed forward to the body, wrapped it in his cloak and hurried back towards Alain and Derewan with it in his arms didn't do much for the prince's breathing. Especially when he noticed his lover was in fact levitating above the splintered trees.
He pulled sharply on his own horse's reins to make the animal behave. One would think that so much time spent in Varen's company had dampened their mounts' natural reaction to flee from predators when those predators were in human form.
"How close are they?" Varen inquired as he floated himself in the saddle and settled his bundle in front of him, his movements quick but very careful to Alain's eye.
Derewan frowned. "About three miles, and approaching fast. But the dragon..." Varen's glare was enough to make him gulp down the rest of his words.
"Back to camp?" Alain asked; the dragon-mage nodded and caught the reins thrown to him. "How bad is it?"
A look down, and an upward twitch of Varen's lips. "Bad enough, but nothing that cannot be healed. Just don't expect either of us to be in a good mood when he wakes up."
~*~*~*~*~
Edit: Fixed spacing. Why didn't anyone tell me the format was screwed up?